NYSE short interest rises in mid-December

By IBT Staff Reporter12/28/09 AT 8:42 AM

Short interest on the New York Stock Exchange rose 2.7 percent in first half of December, the exchange said in a release late Thursday. As of December 15, short interest rose to about 13.53 billion shares, compared to 13.18 billion shares as of November 30.

The NYSE's short interest amounted to 3.54 percent of outstanding shares during the period, an increase from 3.45 percent during the previous period, according to NYSE's data.

Investors who sell securities short profit from betting stocks will fall. Short-sellers borrow shares and then sell them, waiting for the stock to fall so they can buy the shares back at the lower price, return them to the lender and pocket the difference.

Below are the five New York Stock Exchange stocks that experienced the largest increases and decreases in their short positions from late November to mid-December, according to information released by the NYSE.

Complete data on short interest on the NYSE was not immediately available.

The five companies with the largest overall short positions are also listed.

The latest date is as of Dec. 15, while the previous period's data is as of Nov. 30.